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It seems that in the upcoming months, those working in the cosmetics industry will be stocking up on plenty of soothing herbal teas to calm their jittery nerves. This is because not only will they need to affront the difficulties of the global recession (like everyone else, of course), but they will also have to work extra hard to assure their customers that the products  being sold across their beauty counters are certainly worth the value. And considering the current climate, it will certainly be no walk in the park.

Indeed, a recently released report conducted by New York based Brand Keys, a consultancy specialised in customer loyalty, indicates that shopper-consciousness has shifted from a personal responsibility to ferret out deals, to a brand responsibility to provide them. Having surveyed over 26,000 American consumers aged between 18 to 65 years old, it has emerged that consumers will hold cosmetics brands accountable and place far greater emphasis on value than on price. In the cosmetics category, loyalty and engagement rankings were as follows:

“These rankings are the result of consumers, having now seen behind the brand curtain, having new levels of expectations when it comes to price. Wise shoppers, wise now to the extent of margins that must have existed if a retailer can still make money selling a $120 sweater for $24 or a $4,000 flat-screen HDTV for $800, won’t have consumers rushing back to pay full-price anytime soon. The most significant shift that has happened as a result of the recent discounting is actually a neutralizing of the impact of price,” remarks Robert Passikoff, Brand Keys’ founder and president.

All this spells good news for two players in the field–the consumer, of course, and those brands who consistently pay attention to clients and which offer “something real”.

Demonstrating yet again that the recession is nothing more than a precious lesson in questioning and appreciating the genuine value of things.